My name: Tracy Hutchins

Age: 43 years old

My family: Ashley, Rachel, Meagan Wilson (daughters), Shadow and Maddie (dogs), Cleoand Katie (cats), Jamie and Skippy (rats)

What I do: Full-time mom, part-time student to get elementary teaching certification and master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Denver, full-time Cheerleader and chauffeur for my kids.

My favorite place in town to hang out: O'Brien Park. It is the best spot to people watch and to hear what people are talking about (work, kids, activities) and relax under the giant trees.

What I like most about living here: The quiet neighborhood I live in (Rowley Downs) and the fact my kids and I can walk to get ice cream!

My interests and hobbies: I love to play soccer (I'm on an indoor and outdoor team), read books about women in history, especially the ones we never heard about in school, read about the American Revolutionary War, talk politics, organize drawers, and spend as much time as possible with my kids. I spend lots of time watching and cheering for them in their activities.

What is my favorite thing to cook: My favorite thing to cook is Tonti's pizza. It is our family favorite and I am not much of a cook. I hate cooking, probably because I make a huge mess.

People who inspired me (and how): My daughters inspire me. They keep me on my toes with questions and discussions about everything from school to taxes and why things are done and how did I come to my decision on roads and curfews and text messaging. I cannot expect them to get involved and have a voice in things if I don't show them how to do it. When I first ran for council in 2002, they challenged me to either "put up" and run for town council or "shut up" and not run.

I am also inspired by the women who are a part of the new government in Iraq. I was fortunate to meet two women that were a part of the first provisional government in Baghdad. They risk their lives every single day because they believe in freedom and democracy. One of the visitors had spent 10 years in prison under Sadaam Hussein because of her religion! Dirt floors, little food, no clean water, no lights and solitary confinement. She told my kids they should be proud of me because I was a part of our local government. I was honored and stunned at her words. The Iraqi visitor was the one to be honored and admired, not me. I wasn't threatened with death for being vocal and involved. She watched her brother get killed taking an assassin's bullet meant for her. Those women have guts, not me.

How I have contributed to the community: I have tried to contribute to my community by getting involved and volunteering my time as a former member of the cultural commission and parks and rec commission and participating in and attending town events. I have also tried to learn as much as possible about how our town and local government work, processes for building homes and commercial properties, road specs, trail specs and the land development code. I read every single piece of paper we get as a member of council and I am not afraid to ask questions of the staff or applicants for projects in the town. I tell myself if I have this question, someone else probably does too. I believe this has helped us as a town to have greater accountability to the citizens. The council is not just a rubber stamp for a project but a group that takes its job of stewardship and guidance of the town very seriously.

What are the biggest issues facing community now: Traffic and roads and all the infrastructure associated with it are always a concern, continuing to foster the positive economic growth that we continue to have in Parker while planning for the future when the growth slows down and sales tax revenues aren't increasing. There will continue to be increased pressure on available resources (water, recreation centers and facilities, police). We need cooperative agreements and partnerships to meet current and future needs. Our tweens (10-12 year olds), teens and seniors need more from us. As our population increases, so do the needs of all our citizens, especially these groups. Tweens can't drive, many teens can't either. They need a new skate park, closer to downtown where they can walk to. They need a place to "hang out" with their friends that is safe, easy to get to and has "stuff" they like to do: safe computer access and internet availability, arcade type activities, videos, group activities and tutoring, a place to sit and drink a coffee and just veg out. Our senior population is also expanding. Our senior center is bulging at the seams with members. The increasing needs for more shuttle services to get them to appointments and meal delivery and transportation to events is increasing along with the membership. We support our senior center, but we need to do more. We need to bring these three groups together. Our tweens, teens and seniors working together mentoring, teaching computer and life skills and just being buddies and having a cup of coffee together could make for an unbeatable combination of energy, enthusiasm and wisdom and skills. Partnerships and cooperation are vital to ensuring the Town of Parker continues to be a full service community with a small town feel.

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